


what a chorus line of corpses we’ve collected

by athanasynt



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst, Angst and Tragedy, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Bargaining, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Death, Gen, Heavy Angst, Homestuck References, Hurt Loki (Marvel), Hurt No Comfort, JUST THE TITLE THOUGH, Loki (Marvel) Feels, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Loki (Marvel) is a Good Bro, Loki Dies, No 5 years time skip, Not A Fix-It, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Not Beta Read, Not Happy, One Shot, POV Thor (Marvel), Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Pre-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Pre-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Protective Loki (Marvel), Protective Thor (Marvel), Sad Ending, Thor (Marvel) is a Good Bro, Time Loop, Time Skips, Time Travel, kind of, no beta we die like men, somewhat open ended
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:34:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23720152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/athanasynt/pseuds/athanasynt
Summary: “Please.” a gruff voice softly pleaded.“Thor Odinson,” came the reply, “You risk much by coming here. Are you willing to bear the consequences of your actions?”Thor Odinson had not asked his request yet. “Yes,” he breathed, “I’ll do anything. For him.” Then, a pause.“So be it.”With the sound of a hand wave that was the only hint, the fabric of time unraveled back to the moment unspoken of.But both knew the deal was null and the response a lie.Because he will do anything but let go.
Relationships: Loki & Thor (Marvel)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 77





	what a chorus line of corpses we’ve collected

**Author's Note:**

> The title is a song lyric from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMOJB52hCcs by PhemieC! 
> 
> The story idea is loosely inspired from a Boku No Hero Academia fanfiction > https://archiveofourown.org/works/13938186, (credits to the author chancellorxofxtrash), a little bit from the fanfiction Bargaining > https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9963063/1/Bargaining (credits to the author proantagonist) and an Avatar The Last Airbender fanfiction > https://archiveofourown.org/works/13381656/chapters/30649002 (credits to the author Themanofmanyhats)
> 
> Warning for NOT A FIX IT! The ending is bittersweet at best.

-

“Please.” a gruff voice softly pleaded.

“Thor Odinson,” came the reply, “You risk much by coming here. Are you willing to bear the consequences of your actions?”

Thor Odinson had not asked his request yet. “Yes,” he breathed, “I’ll do anything. For him.” Then, a pause.

“So be it.”

With the sound of a hand wave that was the only hint, the fabric of time unraveled back to the moment unspoken of.

But both knew the deal was null and the response a lie.

Because he will do anything but let go.

-

In the end – No, not quite. In the beginning, nothing changed.

He was back. He was back on the _Statesman._

There was Thanos, the Mad Titan. His brother’s killer – _But perhaps-_ He blinked, and _no_ – 

There was Loki, scrambling for his last breaths of air as he choked, _actually choked,_ “You will never be a god.” _And he was right, Thanos was slain at last but it didn’t matter because he was gone, gone like everyone else who didn’t deserve to go–_

There was the reek of death as Thor blindly screamed both inside and outside, deafening any other noise as the world screamed with him, _Take me back, take me back even further, this isn’t what I asked–_

“Odinson,” the time unraveler’s distant voice echoed in his mind, “You didn’t even ask anything, and yet…”

-

Once more into the fire Thor went, tumbling into reality ( _the second one, counted Thor_ ) as he opened his eyes to the vast expanse of space, and never in his life had Thor ever felt so afraid at it. _Because he is out there, he is out there and he will kill my brother._

_Not this time._

“There you are,” A door opened and closed and there was Loki, alive, and Thor couldn’t look at him in fear of seeing a bruised neck and glassy eyes and a corpse. “The Valkyrie has been looking everywhere for you. Which means she asked me to go get you while she lounges around and drinks her booze. Honestly, who gave her the right to–”

Thor cried, the sound almost dying in his throat as he inhaled, “Loki. The tesseract.”

“Pardon?”

With the meek sound of his brother’s voice, Thor broke, “Loki, please listen, you must use it to escape or he murders you, he killed everyone, Loki, please. You have to go, now. Or you die by his hand along with our people. You die, and…”

Loki looks at him with an increasing sadness, like the frost which silvers the night. No name is mentioned, but all becomes clear by the way Thor looks at him, the way Thor is suddenly gripping his shoulders as if he’d disappear any minute, which is ironic considering that’s what Thor wants him to do.

“What did you do,” He croaked back in reply, asking the important questions. “How do you know–”

“Please,” Thor pleads once again, “You must go now before he arrives.”

“Where do you expect me to go?” Loki began to laugh amidst everything, “There is no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where I can hide from him. Besides, I’m not leaving you after all the things I did and said. Oh, isn’t that hilarious Thor, the one time I cease lying and promise you that I’m here is when you want me to leave. I don’t care anymore, I’m staying with you no matter what happens.”

“That is how you die.” Thor’s grip digs even harder, despite his words about letting go. “I won’t let it happen again on my watch.”

“Brother, even you cannot decide what happens. And you cannot force me to leave your side, not anymore.”

_No_ , Thor agrees, but he thinks that he can and will try again countless times until all is righted _._ (And the universe can prove that that is a fact.)

(Countless times is an under exaggeration.)

“Please,” Thor says, and there is not much of a difference between pleading and begging.

And perhaps there is such a thing as destiny, because the next thing they hear is the side of the ship being blown apart.

-

  
_What am I doing wrong?_

“I can’t tell you that,” Time itself answers him as it bends to his will somewhat. “But you can try again.”

-

The thunderer has repeated names so many times they _almost_ do not hold meaning anymore. It seems like he has tried everything and yet it is not enough. It is _almost_ as bad as seeing his brother fake his death, for he mourns just to meet Loki again, if only for a short while.

_But Loki dies. Again, and again, and again._

He has dreaded for it, he has ran from it and Thanos still comes. No matter the preparations, the Asgardian refugee ship will never be enough to stop the forces of the Titan. And Thor _almost_ doesn’t bother evacuating his people because he can _try again._

_Emphasis on try._

Because try as he will, Loki bleeds out on the ruins of the _Statesman_ this time, not even at the hands of Thanos but at the blade of one of the followers when Loki–

-

_Why can I not go even further back? This is futile. I can’t save him no matter what I do._

“Time is not benevolent, as you have learnt. But I do not make fruitless deals.”

_Oh._

_I should have bargained for something, then._

“Hmm,” whispers the dealer, “I seem to have already taken my payment, in consequences.”

_What?_

_-_

“Thor.” Loki whispered, “Brother. I assure you, the sun will shine on us again.”

_Oh Norns, no._ Thor thought to himself, _Every time you say that, you die. Why must you choose to sacrifice yourself for–_

Thor’s remaining eye shoots open.

_Sacrifice._

The god of mischief does not get to finish his sentence.

-

Thor realizes the consequence. It should have been obvious, in hindsight. But when one has the power to rewind time, the definition of consequences means little. The universe chuckles at the game it has been watching for quite some time now. Even now, the Odinson underestimates the consequences.

Because he is wrong in his realization. (But he doesn’t know, and in every attempt that is a constant.)

-

In the end.

_The end._

_It’s the end of this torture._

Thor abandons the cautious thoughts he has gained over the years and charges into the battle, knowing that as long as he dies, Loki will live. No more Black Order manage to fall than every other attempt but as Thor heads straight for Thanos, not aiming to rip the bastard’s face off like every other attempt but to ensure his demise, he puts on a smile because _this is finally the end._

The Titan does not waste his time like he usually does with Loki and tears Thor’s head off with the power stone. It is a gruesome death, but the smile on Thor’s face remains.

Loki lets out a shrill yell, a chorus of no–

He explodes in a blast of magic unleashing rage that makes even Thanos flinch, and it is green (the color of life) and it is meant to bring Thanos down with him.

But Loki does not die. He wakes up and cries until he cannot cry anymore.

-

Thanos is not the enemy of this story.

-

“Loki,” came the reply, There is a moment of silence before the voice continues, “Odinson.”

“You risk much by coming here. Are you willing to bear the consequences of your actions?” It asks.

An emotionless gaze turns into a questioning squint, “I have yet to state my bargain.”

“You have no need to. As one with the power to reshape timelines, I already know every future that comes to be.” Knowingly (too knowingly) replies the voice, “The only thing you have to do is to answer me honestly, Liesmith, what will you do to get the chance to change the past?”

Loki, as good as detecting lies as he is, cannot read a faceless creature. “And what will you have me do?” He retorts, feeling a chill down his spine.

“I rephrase the question, then.” And suddenly, Loki is very, very afraid. “Will you do anything to save Thor Odinson?”

In his heart (if such a thing still existed) , Loki knows the answer. _No, because I am selfish and I cannot live with the death of him._

“Yes,” Loki says without pause.

“So be it.”

-

There is no ending to a never-ending story.

**Author's Note:**

> Has it been years, or days  
> Or has it been a breath? (breath, breath)  
> I am made of time but  
> I am also made of death
> 
> \- Made/Maid of Death by PhemieC
> 
> ===  
> I have no idea what kind of entity the time travel power lending guy is! But in case there's any confusion there are no stones involved in the time travel (That's where the Bargaining fic aspect comes in in the fact that Thor & Loki make a deal with some super powerful entity) and I suppose who started the loop first is up to your interpretation, choose whoever gives you more feels lol. But Thor (at the beginning of this fic) found the time travelling entity *after* Thanos was killed at the start of Endgame, THEN looked for a way to bring Loki back to life. (Of course saving half the universe was on his mind too but I wanted to only focus on Loki & Thor for this fic!) 
> 
> Oh, now I'm worried that they're too OOC. Ah well, I wrote this for the angst and aNGST only. =D I hope you enjoyed this oneshot anyways! Please kudos and leave a comment if you did.


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